Studies in the Process of Formation of the Ancient Tomb Mound (Kofun ) Culture in BAN-ETSU District (Niigata and Fukushima Prefecture Area ) :It was in the field work in order to make clear the true situations of the most ancient tomb mound in Aizu Basin and Niigata Plains that we concentrated the greatest efforts of us in this study. Selecting DOGASAKUYAMA Tomb in Aizu Basin and INABAZUKA Tomb in Niigata Plains, we surveyed the outer form of each and confirmed each of them the most ancient Zenpo-Koen- Fun (Tomb with Square Front and Round Back) in each District. The Tomb Mound of INABAZUKA has especially ancient aspect, showing a rapid diffusion of the ancient tomb culture of the early YAMATO District into Niigata Plains through the Japan Sea route about the first half of the 4th century, owing to our assumption. DOGASAKUYAMA Tomb. Mound is also Zenpo-Koen-Fun with a large scale construction of the middle of the 4th centuiry. Through those surveys, we could conclude. the ancient tomb
… Moremounds were extremely large already since their earliest appearances.We promoted, on the other hand, the chronological studies into the potteries during the period before and after the emergence of the ancient tomb mounds both in Niigata Prefecture and in Fukushima Prefecture,trying the cross dating comparison between these two districts. As the result it was elucidated that in the southern TOHOKU. Area the potteries with the style of NOTO District had come into emergence on the eve of the appearance of the ancient tomb mounds, and we observe in Aizu Basin, especially, a great deal of the excavation of the potteries of NOTO style. This makes us an inference possible that a large group out of NOTO District had immigrated into Aizu Basin by way of Niigata Plains and the immigratin of the group of NOTO, surely, depended upon the initiativs by the YAMATO Regime, for a strong influence can be admitted from the ancient tomb mound culture of YAMATO in the simillar culturein Aizu Basin. It is our present conclusion that the fertile field of the southern TOHOKU Area was the destination land of the eastern advance of the early YAMATO political power and the Japan Sea route gave an essential function as the shortest way with the securing relay base in Niigata Plains. Less